Hand Controllers

I know I’m talking about our hand controllers, but I’d like to add my 2 cents. Last night was my first flight in the new simulator using my Oculus Rift. Other sims in VR have the controllers. I know they do because I’ve used them. First let me see, my VR experience last night was awsome. The mouse as a controller works, but it’s a pain in the butt. We need our hand controllers guys. Please work on gettting them functional, please. Next, I’m 67 and love technology. I WANT MY HAND CONTROLLERS!

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I agree that we need the VR touch controler support but until that time comes I am using Voice Attack to try and make up for the loss.

I stream on Twitch and put my vods on YouTube so you can see how I interact with the aircraft using my voice.

My VR experience started on X-Plane over 3 years ago now and have my Valve Index controllers on my hands for the whole flight and hope to be able to get that same experience in MSFS.

Thank you much.

Like X-plane would be awesome

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Depressing sometimes…

Discussion: February 4th, 2021 Development Update - #52
Force feedback support - #120 by CptLucky8

Yes, very much. I’m not flying in VR now, because it’s too depressing: amazing visuals but bad performance and no controllers. After an amazing hands-on experience in X-Plane it’s too depressing. But X-Plane looks so ugly by comparison, so I’m not flying it either… So far I’m working on creating airports, which is a great and satisfying (albeit sometimes frustrating) experience. I’m doing that until the VR gets at least better performance. Really, VR controllers should be a basic feature, and with 3080 and GPU-limited, graphic performance should not be an issue, period. But Asobo created a very ambitious and revolutionary sim, and now they have too much on their plates. It’s understandable. I hope they eventually manage to make it work well with VR.

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Trust me, using VR controllers (as a button clicker, and/or as a stick) “seems” to be a good idea, but really isn’t at all, to waste devs precious time. Joystick + mouse is still far better and convenient, and other credible options begins to appear (https://pointctrl.com/)

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I couldnt disagree more with the above comment. The one exception I’ll grant you is that using a virtual joystick with a motion controller is dubious at best. But even if I still needed a hotas or other supported controller to control functions like the stick rudders etc, it would still be a huge improvement to be able ti flick the buttons and push the throttle. Combined with the planned graphics updates you could actually learn to use the digital avionics in modern aircraft the way you would irl instead of a series of keyboard shortcuts. And tbh, motion controller support or even hand tracking are standard parts of many VR sdk’s and even the most basic vr games seem to make it work just fine. To insinuate its too complex or “time wasting” for asobo to accomplish is just blatantly false.

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I also disagree with the trust me reply. I’ve been using my Oculus Rift for years flying the Aerofly sim, and though it takes time to get used to using the controls, it becomes second nature and is better than the hardware for a very good reason, you don’t have to feel around to find buttons and levers. It probably isn’t anymore difficult to adapt MSFS to hand controllers than the mouse, and will make interaction in the sim easier.

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Curious, I had a very bad experience of using the VR controllers as button flickers within sim [DCS world mainly, favorite sim], mainly because when trying to reach certain switches, controllers often violently bump real world materiels (HOTAS, one of the throttle quadrants, or hard parts of the simpit), really breaking the immersion… and the mouse is easy to grab, always at the same location…while waiting for better solution than mouse and VR controllers [waiting myself to try PointCtrl, as I saw on some training pictures that some american army pilots use them in VR, while they could have used their controllers, but didn’t). All in all, so much the better if you are happy with using your VR controllers! But for many of us, better manage the expectation, that’s far from being ideal, and for complex aircrafts and/or simpits, almost impossible unfortunately…

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I’ve found a mixture of having a yoke or joystick combined with rudder pedals to handle flight manoeuvring with a single hand controller to change dials, work radios etc works best for me. When not using the controller it was placed either on my lap or on the chair next to me (placed one there to simulate co-pilot seat). This way my left hand or right could pick up the controller and perform whichever task was needed.

I miss X-Plane because of controller support but I can’t go back to 2D clouds and cardboard cut out trees. I JUST CAN"T!! :slight_smile:

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If you look at my thread, you will see video of me managing 737 cockpit easily, with all of its miriad buttons and switches and levers and rotating knobs of every kind. Once you’re used to it, it’s effortless and feels very natural. It was a great experience with Oculus Rift S in X-Plane. Of course you need a real yoke and pedals, or joystick if it matches your aircraft better. You can also see my setup, which is a simple custm-build yoke with pedals pedestal and a chair. No bumping on anything. The switches that are behind the yoke I know to reach with “lasers”. Everything else is “hands-on”. Throttle worked great in VR, including multi-engine, thrust reversers, flaps, gear and everything else.

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That’s good. Muscle memory will eventually make it work, provided you have your cockpit setup to mimic all sim buttons and switches. For me, I want to use my yoke, levers, and rudder pedals, but a right hand controller for the knobs and switches. Mouse doesn’t work well for me as I don’t have enough real estate on my desktop to put it where it will. If I had a trackball strapped to my knee that would work, but I think a right hand controller would be better, since I already own some.

oh no… no way… get a yoke or flight stick …

I think you’ve missed the point entirely… VR controllers are used for anything BESIDES yoke and pedals. Of course we don’t use VR controller instead of yoke and pedals. It’s all the switches and buttons and the whole cockpit that controllers are needed for, instead a crippling mouse crutch. Some also use throttles, but I found that throttles are just fine with VR Controllers. Actually better in some ways, as I could pull up thrust reversers in 737 or individually control engines etc.

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no… i have not, the Meer thought of using vr controllers to point at switches etc on a cockpit make me recoil… id much rather use the mouse for that…
the thought of taking my hand off the yoke and fumbling about for thr vr controller , clicking it to wake it up, then trying to point it at a switch or button on the dash seems silly to me… i know where my mouse is… i just put my hand on it and click . :man_shrugging:

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But why is it every time the subject of controllers is brought up, people like you are reacting as if it is one instead of the other?

Nothing precludes having both mouse + controllers + hardware devices and letting people use what they are most comfortable with. Having controller support doesn’t remove mouse support. Not having controller support though remove options for people more comfortable using them.

The topic is about hand controllers and I’d assume it is meant to gathering feedback about people wanting support for them, not feedback about how any other way but controllers is better ?!?!

I’m sorry to single you out here, but I’d really like to know why most often than not in these discussions people react as if a new controller scheme would remove the older one, while it is not true nor necessary at all.

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why complicate thing by adding more input devices ??
i think …no,scratch that, I KNOW that VR controllers would be terrible in MSFS
anyway… its academic … Microsoft would waste its time implementing them as no one would want to use them ( repetitively speaking)

you speak like you dont use VR ?
i recently recommended MSFS in VR to someone who does not have any VR headset, he said " im waiting for VR controllers to be implemented in MSFS before i buy a VR headset…
now… BEFORE i tried any flight sim i already had VR and also thought a VR controller would be a good way to click buttons etc… but now i use 3 different flight sims in VR and i now see that a VR controller would be an awful way to do the job…

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Having used controllers extensively in other sims. I’ve actually changed my view now. I bought a Kensington tracker ball mouse for MSFS, its always in the same place on the desk and has a large ring for rotating dials. To be honest I find it a lot easier than picking up and rotating the hand controllers.

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No, you did :slight_smile: If you read my post I linked, or look at my video, you would find that I don’t need to “fumble about” for anything, nor do I have to wake it up or anything. The right controller Is strapped to my hand. I just reach and grab the dial or click a button. It’s actually much much faster than a mouse, and you interact with the environment directly, as if grab and rotate your wrist to dial in autopilot, not translating 2D mouse pointer action into 3D world, which is a crutch. I can use the yoke with right hand when I want more precision, with my controller still strapped, but most of the time, I use left hand on the yoke, and right hand on throttles or any interaction with cockpit. If you look at real-life pilot videos, you will see that that’s what real pilots fly most of the time - left hand on the yoke, right for anything else, helping the left during delicate maneuvers.

I bet you didn’t seriously try the controllers in X-Plane, or you wouldn’t be saying this. I have experience of both the mouse and controllers, along with yoke/pedals, and mouse is HORRIBLE compared to controllers, believe me. You have to try both seriously, to be able to judge. If you like mouse better after that - well, okay, many older people do for example, who are new to VR but die-hard sim fans. But if you know your VR, you wouldn’t have a second thought. Because the whole idea of VR is interacting with the environment around you directly, not via crutches of mouse and such.